Porches and Coffee Cups
by sarnay17
Summary: set after season four Jess is back, Rory is confused and lost, and LL are together (okay, not a very good summary, but read it anyways!)
1. A Badly Timed Phone Call

Chapter 1- A Badly Timed Phone Call

She gently closed the door behind her as she stepped outside onto the porch.

"Rory?" she quietly asked, afraid of saying anything wrong.

Sobs and sniffles only replied. Rory hid her ashamed face from her mother as thoughts of only one thing raced through her mind. Dean. Why did she do it? Dean is married. Her mother is right. She's always right. Dean's not hers. Dean is married. She was the other woman.

Lorelai sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around Rory.

"It's going to be okay hon."

Rory let herself fall into her mothers arms. They sat there for what seemed like hours, both unknowing of what to say.

Rory's cell phone broke the silence. They both stared at where it had fallen on the step below them. Rory slowly reached her hand out to answer it.

"Hello?" she said meekly.

"Um…hi!" said the voice on the other end.

"This isn't a good time…"

"Well, just hear me out, Rory. I'm sorry. I was way out of line the other night. I was crazy to think that you would just up and leave your entire life just for me, after all I've put you through. I just want to say that I'm sorry for hurting you and running away from you. I love you Rory, and that scared me. I'm really not good with commitment, as you can see. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. And I understand that you won't take me back, but can't we just be friends. I miss you and I miss spending time with you. Would you consider it, being friends?"

"Wow, Jess. Um…well, thank you for apologizing. I will consider it, but this really isn't a good time. Can I call you tomorrow? Great, bye."

Rory just looked at Lorelai with more sadness in her eyes. Lorelai nodded knowingly and hugged Rory again.

"How about we go to the diner for some dinner. We can talk there. Plus, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Well, I'll give you a hint: it has to do with Luke and a certain girlfriend of his…"


	2. Surprises Around Every Corner

Chapter 2- Surprises Around Every Corner

Disclaimer- I wish I owned something (especially Gilmore Girls), but I don't

Author's Note- The first chapter was really short; the rest of them should be longer. Hope you like it!! And if you haven't guessed already, this is totally a J/R story!  Sorry it has taken me so long to update, I was on a camping trip from hell and then with work and all…I've just been busy.

the next day at Luke's diner"

"Ug! They've only been dating for like a day, and I'm already sick of it! I can't get any food around here!" Rory exclaimed to Lane, who was sitting across from her in their usual table.

"Well, at least they finally realized that they're crazy about each other."

"True. But still, do they have to make out in the middle of the diner, while I'm hungry and waiting for my cheeseburger!?!"

"May I remind you that a certain girl I know used to do the same thing when she had a boyfriend!"

"Okay, okay. You're right."

Lindsey walks in right then with her friend Carmella.  They choose to sit a few tables away from where Rory and Lane were.  Rory politely smiled at Lindsey who apparently didn't see her, or chose not to.  They were chatting about a big surprise that Lindsey was going to tell Dean. 

"So I'm planning on telling him tonight at dinner. Oh gosh, I hope this stops our fighting.  You know, Dean has always said that he wanted to have kids.  I hope this cheers him up, he's been acting strange lately," exclaimed Lindsey, talking so fast that Rory had a hard time keeping up with her.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're pregnant!! You're going to make a great mom!" squealed Carmella, giving Lindsey a huge hug.

Rory sat there stunned.  She couldn't believe what she just heard. Lindsey pregnant?!  Then, as if on cue, Rory's cell phone rang. 

"Hello?"

"Hi Rory!" Dean exclaimed, "How's it going?"

"Fine, I guess. How are you?"

"I'm good, I'm good. I've decided to leave Lindsey."

"What? No, you can't do that!"

"Why not?  Listen Rory, I don't love her.  I love YOU!  It's just not working out between us.  We both aren't happy.  I want to be with you, not her."

"Well, have you tried talking to her? Maybe you guys just need to communicate better.  I'm sure everything will work out for you guys."

"No, we've tried everything Rory, and I don't love her. I'm filing for divorce tomorrow."

"No, you can't do that! I won't let you! Just talk to her okay?! Everything will work out fine."

"But Rory…"

Rory was shaking as she hung up on him. 

The next morning

Ring A thump is heard upstairs. Ring A thunderous crash.

"Rory, can you get that!?!" Luke yells from the apartment above the diner.

"Yeah, I got it!!"

Ring

"Hello! Luke's Diner, how can I be of service to you this morning?"

"Ew! Dirty!!"

"Ew! I didn't mean it that way!! Who is this?"

"It's...uh...Jess."

"Oh, hi Jess! How's it going?"

"I'm good. And you?"

"I'm fine. Have you read any good books lately?"

"What kind of a question is that? I'm always reading a good book.  But yeah, actually I just finished reading Gulliver's Travels. It was okay."

"You know, I surprisingly have never read that…and it's such a classic too, I should get that one."

"You can borrow my copy if you want."

"Oh, okay. That would be great."

"Okay, well, is Luke there?"

"Yeah, I just heard some loud crashes coming from the apartment, so I don't know what he's doing…but I'll get him for you."

"Great. Thanks Rory!"

"Luke!! Jess is on the phone!! He wants to talk to you!!"

Luke came stumbling down the stairs, his shirt crumpled, hair a mess, his shoes off and a huge grin on his face.

"What happened to you?"

Lorelai came down the stairs right after him, smoothing down her hair.

"Nevermind. I don't want to know."

Lorelai left to go back to the Dragon Fly and Rory sat back down at her table and continued to read.  With no one else in the diner, she couldn't help but overhear Luke's end of the conversation with Jess.

"Hello?"

"Well, I um…was working out…"

"Yes, I work out…since when is that a crime?"

Rory smirked behind her book, imagining what kind of jokes Jess was cracking on the other end.

"You what?! Jess!!"

"No, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Well, yeah that's good."

"I suppose, what's your new address?" he said quietly as he reached for a pad of paper on the counter.

"Yeah, she's still here…"

"Okay, I will. Bye Jess."

He glanced up at Rory as he hung up the phone.  Sighing, he stuck what Rory guessed was Jess's address in a drawer and went back upstairs muttering something about having to clean.

As soon as he was out of sight, Rory slid out of her vinyl chair and crept over to the drawer and silently opened it.  Laying right on top of a pile of discarded phone numbers and receipts was Jess's new address and phone number. 

"Hartford," she whispered as her cell phone rang in her purse on the table.


	3. Books

**

* * *

Chapter 3**- Books

**Disclaimer**- I wish I owned something, but alas, I don't

**Author's Note**- This is seriously like the first time I've ever written ANYTHING!! (Well, except for like term papers in school) So if it's bad, I'm sorry, but I'm learning…Is it okay so far? I'm kinda in a rut. I'm not quite sure how to get them finally together. I may need to make them a little out of character…but, eh, that's okay. Hope you like it!

**Dedication**- To Becky (if you ever find this! lol), we'll take him down one of these days…you know who I'm talking about…the "not so small one" hehe

* * *

"Ding, Ding"

The door clicked close as Rory stepped into a cool air conditioned book store in the heart of Hartford. On a quest to find a birthday present for her grandmother, she headed over to the gardening section. After picking up a few books on roses and garden water features, she made her way to the check-out line to pay. An old man was paying when she arrived, and she heard him arguing over the price of the book.

"Great, this is going to take forever," she muttered under her breath.

"The sign said 40% off!! I'm completely sure of it!" he yelled.

"Yes sir, but it comes up as 45% off in the computer, why are you yelling at me? You're saving more money!" (A/N Not kidding, a woman once did this to me while I was working in retail!!)

"I don't want to get a call saying I cheated the store out of money."

"I assure you that won't happen sir, now are you ready to pay; there are waiting customers behind you."

The old man mumbled something about the damn government and walked out of the store. As he started walking away, a clear view of the once hidden cashier was shown to Rory.

Jess.

Grinning, he took the books out of her hands and started scanning them.

"Hi Rory, planning on picking up a new summer hobby? I hear there are fountains for sale down the street at Hobby Lobby."

"Haha, no, these are a birthday present for my grandmother. I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah, just started last week."

"Why are you working in Hartford? I thought you moved back to New York, that's what Luke said."

"I..uh…well, you know…living with my mom and TJ really wasn't working out, I moved out."

"Oh, so you live in Hartford then?" She was trying not to let on that she knew that Jess lived there.

"Yeah, I…uh, I'm actually going to summer school, trying to get my degree." He immediately regretted having said it. He had been planning on showing her his diploma once he got it, as a surprise.

"Oh my gosh Jess!! That's great! Wow! You've really turned around this year. I'm really happy for you!"

"Well, after having lived with my dad, I realize that I need to change. I don't want to end up like him."

"Well, I'm happy for you Jess, make sure to let me see your diploma once you get it!"

"Okay, your total is $35.87."

"Thanks Jess, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Rory."

She stepped back outside into the warm summer day with mixed feelings. Glad that Jess seemed to be working hard and doing something productive, yet somehow unhappy that he had moved so close to Stars Hollow. She wandered down the block, looking for a place to stop and get coffee. As she turned the corner a giant sign read "Free coffee from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. with any purchase off of our menu"

"Eh, I could eat," she said, looking at her watch, "12:10. Perfect timing, I'll get a fresh batch."

She ordered and sat down at one of the little iron tables set up outside the restaurant for the people who like to sit with watery eyes because the sun is too bright. After putting on her sunglasses to avoid looking like she was crying, she dove into her plate of cheese fries. Halfway through her cup of coffee, a familiar voice was heard behind her. She turned around in her chair to see Jess coming towards her with a fresh cup of coffee and a cheeseburger.

"Hey! I thought you were working!" she exclaimed, surprised at his gesture of sitting down at her table.

"I'm on lunch break now. So I thought I'd come down here to catch a bite to eat, and you're here, so I figured we could catch up a little."

There was an awkward silence as Rory suddenly found a crack in the sidewalk very interesting.

"As long as that's okay with you, you don't have to be anywhere do you? I don't want to intrude."

"Oh, no no! I was just zoning out. It's okay Jess, you can stay."

"Okay, good. I want to talk to you about something. Oh, here I brought you a fresh cup of coffee."

"Thanks, you didn't need to do that."

"Eh, it was a ploy to get you to stay longer," he said with a chuckle.

"Well, if I have to, you know I could wolf this thing down faster than a jack rabbit in the springtime!"

They both laughed, but the air was full of tension. Not knowing what to say, they both sat in silence for a few minutes eating their lunch.

"I'm a terrible person. I'm sorry Rory."

That's all it took. Rory looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She ran around the small table and threw her arms around him. He was stunned at first. He had expected her to half agree with him. But what he said was the truth, I mean he had broken her heart and left her in the dust, several times, but he truly WAS sorry. He loved her.

He didn't know what to do. He froze in his seat. He wanted to hug her more than anything in the world. But he just couldn't. He didn't understand why she was hugging him, he didn't deserve it after all the horrible things he had done.

She pulled away, her cheeks tear stained. She smiled at him and sat down in the chair next to his.

"Um, Rory? Why did you do that?"

"Jess, I…it's just that…I think I loved you. And I was thinking that if I did once, that maybe I could again… that's all."

"That's all? That's huge Rory!! Are you taking me back? This is amazing!!" he jumped up and hugged her, "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, I'm a really rotten person, you don't deserve me."

"Oh my gosh! Jess, I knew two years ago that you were the one for me too! (A/N I'm sure you all know, but just in case…Jess told Rory that he knew they belonged together "two years ago" in Last Week Fights, This Week Tights) I'm sorry, I said no that night. I mean, I'm not saying that I didn't want you, but I didn't want to go away with you. I live here Jess, my mom is here, Yale, everything I have is in Stars Hollow. I couldn't just pick up and leave. That wouldn't be right."

"I know, I'm sorry I asked you to go away with me. It was stupid, I don't know what I was thinking."

"That's okay. I understand why you did it. I just want to make one thing clear. If we're going to make this work we need to communicate better. I think that's what the problem was before. Neither one of us knew how to really talk to each other. From now on we need to be completely honest and open with each other."

"I completely agree, I actually was going to say the same thing myself. I'm glad you feel the same way. I've gotta get back to work though."

"Noooo!!!" she said in a whiny voice, "I don't want you to go!" Jess smiled. "When do you get off of work?"

"6 o'clock," he said with a smirk, perfect for a dinner date.

"Ohhh!! Perfect! What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm hangin' out at the corner to try to make a few extra bucks."

"Ew!! Jess! Seriously."

"Nothin'. Why? What are _you_ doing?"

"Well, I have dinner at my grandparents tonight, but from 6 to 7 I'm free…"

"Great! I can show you my apartment!"

"Cool! I'll meet you at your corner then!"

They both laughed and hugged again before saying goodbye, each with a grin on their faces.

* * *

Rory drove home excited yet nervous about telling her mom about her and Jess. What if she flipped out? What if she forbade it? What if, what if, what if. A million thoughts ran through her mind as she pulled into the driveway of their small colonial style house. Parking the car behind her mom's Jeep, she slowly walked up the front steps and pushed open the front door.

"Mom!! Home!!"

"Hi sweetie! I'm in the kitchen!"

Rory walked into the kitchen only to see that dishes, cups, pots and pans, and practically everything that was once safe and neatly packed in the kitchen cupboards strewn all over the floor and table, spilling out into the hallway and into Rory's room.

"Mom, what's going on in here?"

"Oh, I'm just doing a little spring cleaning!" came a voice from behind a box marked "SALT AND PEPA SHAKERS"

"Mom? You spelled pepper like the singing group!"

"I know!! They were on the radio when I was packing the salt and pepper shakers down and I thought it was amusing!!"

Rory giggled, "I have something to tell you mom."

"If it's about the lawn gnome in the front yard, I'm sorry, I know you don't like them. But the little gnome working on the toilet was just so funny I couldn't pass him up. I found him at a flea market and I fell in love with it!!"

"I didn't notice the lawn gnome in the front yard…but um…if you want one…go ahead, I can't stop you. No, this is about something else."

"Okay, shoot honey."

"Well, I was in Hartford today buying a present for Grandma's birthday and I ran into…"

"Speaking of which, dinner tonight was moved to 4:30. Grandma said she has something to tell us and it's important, so I don't know what's going on. Having dinner before 7:00 in the Gilmore house is like committing a murder or something! I'm sorry, Ror, I interrupted, who did you run into?"

"Um…Jess."

"Oh."

"Yeah, we talked. He lives there, has a job, is going to school to get his diploma, he has really straightened himself out."

"Wow, are you okay with him living so close? I mean I know you guys were talking before, but…"

"Yeah, um…we actually made a date for tonight, to you know, to catch up and stuff."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yeah, he's changed mom. He's different now."

"Okay, I trust you. But I just want to warn you about this, you may get hurt again."

"I know, I'll be careful. Geez, we'd better hurry if we're going to make it to Grandma's for dinner."

* * *

_6:15__ that evening_

Huddled on a park bench on the corner where they agreed to meet, Jess sat and waited for Rory.

"She's late, what's going on? I hope I'm not being stood up," he muttered to himself pulling his jacket closer. For a considerably hot day, the evening was rather cool, and getting cooler with an approaching storm.

A silver, shiny car pulled up to the corner and the window slowly rolled down.

"I'm gonna go around the block and park," she yelled from the drivers seat.

"Wait! Why don't we just drive to my apartment?"

"Oh, okay, that's fine."

Jess slid into the passenger seat and Rory pulled away from the curb. He looked over at her tearstained face.

"Rory? What happened? Why are you crying? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just…"

He waited for her to continue, but she didn't.

"Take your time, you don't have to tell me until your ready." He knew that something must have happened at home.

He gave her the directions to his apartment and they drove there in silence. She parked and he got out and went around the car to open the door for her. They walked a short distance to a large, brick, six story building. They ascended the stairs and Jess unlocked the front door and ushered her in. They walked up six flights of stairs in silence. When they finally reached the top they both were out of breath.

"Had to be on the top floor didn't you?" she said jokingly.

"It's the best. Well, this is my apartment," he exclaimed as he opened the door and flipped on the light switch next to the door.

"It's really nice Jess," she said as she put her coat and purse down on the couch.

"This is the kitchen, not much there. And this is the office, again pretty empty. And here's my bedroom," he said as he moved from room to room.

The walls were bare, and the only furniture in the whole apartment was a beat up, old couch, a small TV, a bed and dresser, a desk and small bookcase. Boxes upon boxes marked "BOOKS" were stacked in the corner of the living room.

"Looks like you need some shelves. You should have Luke make you some."

"I don't really think he would do that for me. I mean I treated him pretty rotten."

"Are you kidding? Luke loves you, he would do anything for you."

"Eh, I don't know."

They sat down on the couch in silence once more. Jess was still waiting for Rory to open up to him. _What's wrong with her?_

"My grandparents are getting a divorce," she said it quietly almost anwering Jess's thoughts.

"Oh, Rory, I'm sorry!" He leaned over and gave her a hug and she leaned into him, wanted to be held. They sat there on the couch wrapped up in each other's arms until Rory fell asleep, exhausted and upset. Soon Jess was asleep too.

* * *

A/N: Please read and review!! A big surprise is coming in the next chapter!!


	4. It's Not Mine

**Chapter 4- **It's Not Mine****

**Disclaimer-** Still don't own anything

**Author's Note-** Well, I wrote three different versions of this chapter before deciding on this one. I've had this idea like since the season ended…so I hope it comes out good. I was unsure if I wanted this scenario to be in this story or if I should make another story altogether…but I think it fits nicely here. So yeah…I hope you like it!! There's a small time lapse…okay, actually kinda big: three months. But, I hope it's good!! If it seems like some things are left out or need addressing, it all will be explained in the very near future. Please read and review it!!

**Dedication-** Becky: Darn it!! You found me!! Now, write a story of your own so I can read it!!

_

* * *

_

_Three months later_

He rolled over to hear the sounds of her getting sick, again. _That's three days in a row. Maybe I should take her to the doctor. She's really sick. _Rory emerged from the bathroom clutching her stomach.

"Jess! I can't go today!" she whined, sliding under the covers with him.

"You don't have to, you're sick. Stay in bed, you shouldn't be up and about."

She gave a weak smile and buried her face in the sleeve of his old faded Metallica shirt. He smelled good. Like laundry detergent and peppermints. She loved him. After an awkward encounter with Lindsey and Dean at Doosie's, she hadn't spent much time in Star's Hollow. Trying to avoid it altogether was hard, but everywhere she went, she felt like everyone was watching her. Studying her every move. Like they knew her terrible secret. But no one knew. Only Dean, Lorelai and Luke. She hadn't even told Jess. Jess. The wonderful man lying next to her. He loved her. What would he do if he knew that she had slept with Dean? He'd probably kill him. He had been with when she saw Dean and Lindsey at the supermarket. He smiled politely at Lindsey and smirked at Dean, almost shoving it into his face that he had won. Completely unknowing. How unfair of her. She was a terrible person.

"Jess? Can you call my mom and tell her I'm not going to Grandma's today?"

"Yeah, do you want me to go for you?"

"No, you don't have to. Why are you volunteering? You hate my grandparents!"

"Well, I love you. They love you. See? We already have something in common. Besides if I want to make this work between us, I'm gonna have to make friends with you're family."

"Hmm," she whispered, half asleep.

He got up quietly, making sure not to wake her up and went into the still bare living room. Picking up the phone he dialed Lorelai's number and got Luke on the other end.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, it's me. How's it going Jess?"

"Um..I'm good. But Rory's sick, I want to take her to the hospital. Can you tell Lorelai that she isn't going today?"

"Yeah, sure. Is she okay? What's wrong with her?"

"She's been throwing up for a few days now, I'm afraid she may have a bad case of the flu."

"Oh, okay, well if you need anything…"

"Yeah, I will. Thanks."

After hanging up the phone, Luke went into the kitchen where Lorelai was making poptarts for breakfast.

"Hey Lor?"

"What is it dear Lukey?"

"Ug! Don't call me Lukey! Rory's apparently really sick and Jess is taking her to the hospital, so she won't be coming today."

"Maybe I should call her! I hope she's okay! Did Jess say what was wrong with her?"

"She's been throwing up for a few days…"

"I'm going over there."

Luke, knowing that he could not convince her to not go, accompanied her to Jess's apartment. After the short drive, Luke and Lorelai climbed the many levels to Jess's apartment and knocked on the door. Jess answered almost immediatly, his coat on and keys in hand.

"Oh, hey. We were just leaving for the hospital."

"We'll go with you," Lorelai stated, making her way past Jess and over to Rory, who was standing by the couch.

They helped her down the stairs and into Lorelai's jeep, which was quite a bit more reliable than Jess's car. Lorelai sat in the back seat with Rory, and Luke drove them to Hartford Hospital. Upon arriving, Jess checked her in and surprisingly they only waited twenty minutes for Rory to be seen by a doctor. Thirty minutes and about six coffee trips later. The doctor came out into the waiting room. He asked to speak to Jess alone for a moment.

"Mr. Mariano, hello, I'm Dr. Russell. I just wanted to congratulate you. What Rory is experiencing is mearly a side-effect so to say. Morning…"

"Side effect of what? Why are you congratulating me? What's going on?" Jess said almost angrily, he didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Rory's pregnant, you didn't know? I'm terribly sorry."

"She's what?! That's impossible…we haven't…" Jess just stared at the doctor, not knowing how to react, "are you sure you have the right person?"

"You are Jess Mariano, correct?"

"Yes, but Rory's not…she couldn't be…I mean…it's impossible…"

"Maybe you should sit down. First time fathers always feel this way when they first hear the news."

"No, you don't understand…we haven't…."

Lorelai ran over to them, panic striken, "I heard the word pregnant! What's going on?"

"I assume you're her mother? Yes you heard correctly, Rory is pregnant."

"Oh my god," Lorelai slumped into the chair next to Jess, mouth open and stared at the same crack in the tile that he was.

The doctor left and the two of them sat in their chairs in complete silence. After several minutes, Jess looked up at her with tears streaming down his face.

"It's not mine…"

He got up and walked out of the hospital before Lorelai had a chance to protest.

* * *

A/N: Next Chapter: Lorelai and Rory talk, Jess and Luke talk, Jess and Rory talk. Lot's of talking. What will they do about this, uh…situation? Keep on reading…Please review!!


	5. All We Can Do is Try

**Chapter 5- **All We Can Do is Try

**Author's Note- **Sorry for the delay in updating! I'm trying something new in this chapter. A new format. I think it's easier to write, so I hope you like it. If not I can go back to the old way. It'll be a little longer, but I think it's better. Please review!!

**Dedication- **I love you all! Thank you for reviewing me! In the wise words of Sally Field: "You like me! You really like me!" hehe****

**Disclaimer- **Still don't have anything to my name, unless you can count a whole truck load of books and cds…

* * *

****

[Hospital (hallway, outside of Rory's room) - Noon]

LORELAI: (in a panic) Luke! Luke! Oh my god! Luke! (running towards him) You'll never believe what's happening!! My baby! My baby is…

LUKE: (handing her a fresh cup of coffee) What's wrong?! What happened? (starting to panic too) Is everything okay? Where's Jess?

LORELAI: (crying) He left. He left, Luke. Because she's….she's…my baby…she's…

LUKE: (wrapping his arms around her and guiding her to a bench) What happened? Is she okay?

LORELAI: She's pregnant.

(With this, LORELAI broke down again. Crumbling into a ball, she sat on the bench next to LUKE burying her head in his shirt)

LUKE: Shhh. It's okay Lor, everything's going to be okay. (stroking her hair) I'll make sure that Jess takes care of her and the baby. He isn't going anywhere. He loves Rory. Everything is going to be okay.

LORELAI: (sitting up and looking him in the eye) No! No! It's not going to be okay! The baby isn't Jess's Luke! It isn't Jess's. I never thought I'd be wishing it _was_ his, but it isn't. It isn't!

LUKE: (puzzled) Well, whose is it?

LORELAI: (bursting into tears again) It's Dean's.

(LORELAI looked away from him. Ashamed of it. Ashamed of her daughter's cheating. Ashamed of her daughter)

LUKE: (unsure) Oh. Are you…she…they sure it's not his?

LORELAI: Yes, he said that they didn't have sex. Oh my gosh Luke! What am I going to do? What is she going to do?

LUKE: I don't know Lor. We'll have to talk to her about this. Find out what she's going to do. Find out how Jess is…Oh my gosh! Jess! Did you say he left?!

LORELAI: (rubbing her eyes) Yeah, he left after he heard she was pregnant.

LUKE: He's gonna run...Are you okay? Can I leave to go find him? I won't be long.

LORELAI: Yeah, go, go. Tell him I'm really sorry about all this. I'm not sure that you should tell him the baby's Dean's though. Probably not a good idea considering…well, it's Dean.

LUKE: Yeah, I got it. You go talk to Rory. (kissing her) I love you. I'll be back in a little while.

(LORELAI watched helplessly as LUKE walked down the corridor and turned the corner to the elevators. She turned back to the door in front of her. Confused and almost frightened she sat and contemplated what to say to RORY)

* * *

[Jess's apartment – Noon]

("Clocks" by Coldplay blaring from the speakers, JESS is packing what little clothes he has. Throwing in some books and cds, he zips up his backpack. Taking one last look at a picture of RORY and him, he picks up his wallet and heads for the door. It bursts open just as he reaches for the handle.)

LUKE: (surprisingly calm) Where are you going?

JESS: God! You sure know how to give a guy a heart attack, there is such a thing as knocking you know!

LUKE: Jess, where are you going?

JESS: Who cares?

LUKE: I do, Lorelai does, Rory does.

JESS: Apparently not the later and I'm sure Lorelai doesn't give a shit either, I'm surprised you included yourself in that list.

LUKE: Of course I care about you, why wouldn't I? You're my nephew! And Lorelai cares, she told me to tell you she's sorry for what's happening.

JESS: Hm. And Rory? Cause last time I checked, sleeping with someone else and getting knocked up isn't exactly a way to tell your boyfriend you care.

LUKE: Jess, I'm really sorry. If you guys just talk about it, I'm sure…

JESS: (angry) No! Luke, no! I'm not gonna talk about it. Not with her. She cheated on me, with god knows who! I don't want to know! She's pregnant, it's not mine! That's all I need to know, to know that I'm out of here.

(JESS started for the door again)

LUKE: She didn't cheat on you.

JESS: (stopping and turning around slowly) What did you say?

LUKE: She didn't cheat on you. She had sex before you came back.

JESS: (completely stunned) And _you_ know this how?

LUKE: Lorelai told me. Rory is torn up about it Jess. She didn't want to hurt you. She told Lorelai that she was lonely and that Dean was just there, and they did it. She didn't…

JESS: Dean? (barely choking out the word)

LUKE: (realizing what he said) Um…yeah, Dean. (nerviously) She slept with Dean. The baby is Dean's.

JESS: (sitting down on the couch) Of course.

LUKE: What?

JESS: Of course it's Dean's. It's always him. If it's not me, it's him. Something goes wrong with him, she runs to me. If something goes wrong with me, she runs off to him. I should have known. (burying his head in his hands)

LUKE: Are you okay Jess? I can…

JESS: (cutting him off) Does it look like I'm okay?! (suddenly angry again) No, I'm not "okay." I'm pissed. I'm gonna kill him. He's married! How could he do this to Rory?! She doesn't deserve this.

LUKE: Well, I don't think that violence will help this situation Jess. Dean doesn't know. I don't think that Rory wants him to know. Just…leave it alone.

JESS: I'm leaving. (heading for the door) I can't handle this right now.

LUKE: No. You are not leaving. Not until we finish talking about this.

JESS: Let's see…my girlfriend is pregnant with another guy's kid. A guy whom I can't stand! I love her. But I can not raise his child. I can't do it, and I won't. I want no part of this. End of discussion.

LUKE: If you love her, like you say you do, not that I'm doubting you...but you should stay and help her…

JESS: Why can't Dean help her? He's the one who did this. He's the one who messed up all of our lives.

(With this he turned around and left, slamming the door behind him)

* * *

[Hospital- 12:30 pm]

(After three coffee runs, Lorelai finally decided to go and talk to Rory. Standing outside her door, she quietly knocked.)

RORY: Come in.

LORELAI: Hey sweetie. How do you feel?

RORY: Um…okay I guess, considering…

LORELAI: I know…(sitting down in the chair next to the bed)

(They sat in silence for a few minutes, each not looking forward to the inevitable upcoming talk)

LORELAI: Um…this is uncomfortable.

RORY: Yeah, it is…Mom, I'm really sorry.

LORELAI: (surprised) Honey, you don't need to be sorry! We'll work through this. Everything is going to be okay. (she moved from the chair to the edge of the bed and pulled RORY into a hug)

RORY: (bursting into tears) No, no it's not mom. It's not supposed to be like this. I'm going to Yale, I can't have a baby. I'm not ready. I'm not married. And it's Dean's. Dean is married mom! (crying harder) What am I going to do? What about Jess? He's going to be pissed. I hate myself. How could I do this? I screwed everything up!!

LORELAI: Sweetie, you didn't do this on purpose, it just happened. And now we have to deal with it as best we can. You can take a year off of Yale, go back next year. We'll figure this out together hon, I'll be right here for you every second. Don't worry. You won't have to do this alone.

RORY: Where's Jess? I want to tell him myself.

LORELAI: Um…sweetie, the doctor told him, and then he left. Luke went after him.

RORY: (crying again) Oh God! He left! I lost him! I love him, mom. What am I going to do? I need him.

LORELAI: Don't worry, Luke is talking to him. He's not going anywhere.

(LORELAI'S cell phone went off and she dug through her purse to find it)

LORELAI: Hello?

LUKE: Hey, uh, it's me. He left.

LORELAI: What?! (looking at RORY sadly) Did you talk to him?

LUKE: Yeah, he's really mad, he uh…doesn't want anything to do with the baby…it kinda slipped out that it was Dean's…

LORELAI: Luke! You weren't supposed to say that?! (sighing) Well, do you have any idea where he's going? New York maybe?

LUKE: No, I asked and got a "Who cares."

LORELAI: Well, maybe we'll just give him time. Call Liz in a few hours, maybe he went there.

LUKE: I'm really sorry Lorelai. Tell Rory I'm really sorry.

LORELAI: It's okay Luke, it's not your fault. We'll just see what happens.

LUKE: I'm gonna head over to the diner. Are you going to be okay?

LORELAI: Yeah, thanks for coming today. Bye.

LUKE: It's nothing Lor, I love you. Bye.

(LORELAI turned to RORY, biting her lip. RORY was crying again, the hope gone out of her eyes)

LORELAI: I'm sorry sweetie. (hugging her again)

RORY: I can't do this mom, not without him.

LORELAI: Don't worry, he just needs time. Plus, he's gotta come back to get the stuff out of his apartment, he'll be back.

RORY: (nodding) I'm ready to go home now. Can we leave?

LORELAI: Yeah, I'll go get a nurse.

(LORELAI left and RORY lay back on her pillow and closed her eyes)

* * *

[On the road, somewhere between Star's Hollow and New York City] A/N: I threw in some stuff from Jess's point of view here; not sure if it fits or works…but I wanted to go through Jess's thoughts and his problem, so yeah, tell me if it's good.

I'm getting further away from my problems, from her, from the whole thing. I don't want to get involved in this. It's too complicated. Too messed up. I can't see myself raising a child. Especially one that isn't mine. Especially Dean's. I'm not ready for fatherhood. I just recently became responsible for myself. How can I be trusted to be responsible for someone else?

Rory. I love her, I do. Am I being selfish? Leaving her like this? Probably. She's gonna be heartbroken when she finds out I left her…again. You're stupid Mariano, you know that. She's the best thing that ever happened to you. She's…I hate to sound mushy…but the love of your life. You can't leave her. This is too big of a problem for her to handle by herself. But she does have Lorelai…no, she needs you. I just don't want to turn into my father. I don't want to screw up this kid's life, like he did mine. It's not fair to it…I wonder if it's a boy or a girl…I should go back. She needs me. If I fail, I fail…it's better to have tried and failed than to fail by never trying at all. Or something like that, anyway I've got to go back. I love her, no matter what. We'll get through this, together.

* * *

A/N: Please review! I want your feedback, good or bad!


	6. Nothing is Certain

**Chapter 6- **Nothing is Certain

**Author's Note- **Sorry for the delay! I've been super busy lately. Here are two chapters to make up for it. Hope you like it! Keep reviewing!

**Disclaimer- **I own nothing.

* * *

[Luke's Diner- that evening]

Rory and Lorelai step out of the rain and into the diner, which is just about to close up for the night. Luke is wiping tables down and looks up to see them come in. Without a word, he gets two cups of coffee and sets them down in front of the girls at their regular table.

"I don't really think I should have any Luke…I mean it might be bad for…"

"Oh right. Of course, I should have known. Sorry," he said uncomfortably.

"That's okay. Thanks anyways though," Rory said, mustering a weak smile.

Luke started back to the kitchen with the cup.

"Hold it right there Luke Danes!"

"What?" he exclaimed, turning around quickly.

"Just because she can't have coffee doesn't mean I can't have any! You bring that right back over here!"

"You already have a cup Lorelai."

"Do I ever just have _one_ cup? That's it, just set it down next to the other one. See, they can be friends!"

Rory giggled as Lorelai proceeded to make the cups talk to each other about how mean Luke was for wanting to waste perfectly good coffee like that. Luke shook his head and went back into the kitchen to help Caesar clean up.

Lorelai was in the middle of wrapping a napkin around the red cup as a wedding dress when she looked up at Rory, who was no longer paying attention.

"What's up babe?"

"Huh?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, um…nothing."

"That look on your face doesn't look like nothing."

"Oh, uh…it's just…"

"Jess? Or the baby?"

"Both. I just don't know how I'm gonna explain this to him, if I ever see him again."

"You will. He loves you. He'll be back. He always comes back."

"Yeah, but I really screwed up this time. He must hate me."

"No, he doesn't hate you. He just needs time to think about what's going on. He needs to realize that you didn't want to hurt him and that you love him."

"Yeah, but I just…I just don't know."

Rory looked on the verge of tears again and Lorelai wrapped her arm around her, not really knowing how to convince her that Jess would be back when she herself wasn't sure.

* * *

He had been driving for two hours and changed his mind about what to do about a million times with each passing mile. He was practically in the city when he finally decided what to do. He loved her, this much he knew, but he didn't know if he could raise a baby. But really he didn't care about that anymore. He just wanted to be with her. Pulling over on a side street he got out of the car and started walking. He looked up at the giant buildings surrounding him like walls, keeping everything out. He felt safe here, like nothing could touch him. He was walking aimlessly and soon came to a record store. He walked inside and realized that this was where he had taken Rory when she had come to see him. That seemed like a million years ago. So much had changed. He had changed. He stood looking around him and it suddenly became clear to him what he had to do.

* * *

[Gilmore living room- night]

Lorelai came into the living room where Luke was mindlessly flipping through the TV channels. She plopped down next to him, completely exhausted. Resting her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes.

"Lor? Why don't you go up to bed, I'm not a pillow."

Lorelai smiled, too tired to come up with a reply. Luke stood up and half carried Lorelai up the stairs to bed. He tucked her in and she opened her eyes.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Rory's gonna be okay…isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine. With a grandmother like you, how could this kid not be raised great?"

"Ug, don't say the "G" word!"

"What shall I call you?"

"The Queen Mum."

Luke laughed and agreed that "grandma" was officially out of his vocabulary.

"Luke, stay the night. I don't want to be alone."

He climbed into bed next to her and almost immediately he could hear her lightly snoring next to him. He smiled and closed his eyes.

* * *

A/N: Please review! I hope you like it! Read on to find out what Jess decides to do!!


	7. Early Morning Conversations

**Chapter 7- **Early Morning Conversations

**Author's Note- **PLEASE R/R!!

**Disclaimer- **Still don't own anything…well except for Rory's baby…but it won't show up for a while, so can I really count that?

* * *

Jess hesitantly rang the doorbell and almost hoped that she wouldn't answer the door. Not yet. He couldn't see her yet. He needed to talk to someone. Never in a billion years would he have ever thought that he would go to Lorelai for advice but just this once he needed her wisdom to help him. A groggy Luke answered the door. 

"You realize it's 2 A.M. don't you?"

"Yes, Luke I do. But I have to talk to Lorelai…now."

"Lorelai?"

"Yeah, is that forbidden? Is talking to Lorelai a bad thing? Does she have some sort of airborne disease that will kill me if I come within a five foot radius of her?"

Jess was nervous. Luke could see it on his face and he almost smiled at it.

"Yeah, I mean no, she has no illness. But you can come in and talk to her. Are you sure this can't wait until tomorrow, er…later today? Like when the sun is up?"

"No, it's really important. I need to talk to her."

"Okay okay. Come in. I'll get her."

Luke disappeared upstairs and Jess could hear objections from Lorelai. But the promise of coffee finally brought her downstairs. Her hair was disheveled and she was still dressed in her clothes from the day before, but they were wrinkled from having been slept in.

"Okay, what is so important that I need to get out of bed at 2 in the morning for?" she asked sleepily, "Jess?! You're back! I'm so glad!" she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a huge hug. He was taken aback and just stood there.

Lorelai pulled away and smiled at him, "Luke told me someone important was downstairs, and I hoped it was you!"

"You think I'm important?"

"Of course I do. Rory hasn't stopped talking about you since…well you know. She was afraid you weren't coming back. She needs you Jess. I don't really think that it's hit her that she's pregnant yet, she just doesn't want to loose you."

"Huh."

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, uh…I just have a question for you."

"Okay what is it?" she asked eagerly, as Luke handed her a fresh cup of coffee and sat on the couch next to her.

"Um, Luke could you…uh…"

"Oh, um, yeah…sorry, if you want to talk to her alone that's fine, I just thought…" Luke stammered, trying to hide his hurt feelings.

"Sorry, but I kind of just need Lorelai on this one."

Luke went upstairs and Jess turned back to Lorelai who was staring at him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Lorelai smiled at him, "You really love her don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah I do."

"So, your question?"

"Oh, yeah. Well I was just wondering…uh... if I could…um…possibly ask for Rory's hand in marriage? I mean, can I have your blessing?"

"Oh, my gosh! Yes! Yes, you can!" she hugged him again, "I can't think of a better person than you to marry my daughter."

"I thought that you didn't like me."

"You've really grown up this past year Jess. You love Rory and she loves you. I've never seen her happier than when she's with you."

"Thank you Lorelai," he smiled at her and this time he hugged her, "Well I think I'm gonna crash a Luke's place. Don't say a word of this to Rory."

They got up and she walked him to the door.

"Of course not, Jess. I wouldn't dream of it."

"Thanks, goodnight Lorelai."

"Goodnight Jess."

She gently shut the door behind him as he walked outside to his car and then quickly bounded up the stairs to her bedroom.

"What was all that about?" Luke asked impatiently.

"I can't tell you," Lorelai answered crawling under the covers.

"How come?"

"It's between me and Jess, you'll find out soon enough."

"Can I have a hint?"

"Goodnight Luke."

"Just a tiny one?"

"Goodnight."

"Please?!"

"No. Goodnight."

"Fine. But I will get it out of you!"

"Okay Luke. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Lorelai."

* * *

A/N: Hope you like it! PLEASE review!! It'll make the updates faster! I promise! 


	8. Facing Forward

Chapter 8- Facing Forward

Author's Note- Wow, it's been a while…but recent reviews have prompted me to continue this. So I hope you like it! Keep reviewing!

Disclaimer- Still not mine.

* * *

"Lucas, now here! How can you pretend to not care about the Stars Hollow Bagel Festival? It's an annual tradition that has been passed down through the generations since Grandma Baker baked her first bagel right here on Peach Street during the 1920's. Your diner is the only establishment in town that does not have a flyer announcing it. As a town member, Lucas, you have a responsibility to inform other members about town happenings."

"Taylor! I'm not condoning a bagel festival! Again, I will repeat, 'bagel festival'! Now get out, you're scaring the customers away," Luke pounded a coffee mug on the counter to emphasize his point.

Taylor gave Luke an "I'll get you one of these days" look and walked out the diner door. Luke sighed and continued to take Kirk's order. Jess came down from upstairs, still in his clothes from the day before he looked as if he had been through a tornado. Luke looked up and started to snicker.

"Don't."

"I didn't say anything."

"But you were gonna"

"I was so taken aback by your lovely fashion statement that I couldn't form any words."

"Ha ha. Very funny Luke. I didn't feel like changing last night, so I slept in my clothes."

"I can see that. Your hair is extra bouncy today too."

Jess ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He wasn't sure if he should tell Luke about his plan or not. Heck he didn't even know if Luke knew already or not. Lorelai might have told him by now. He looked at Luke suspiciously, trying to figure it out.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're looking at me like I'm nuts."

"You are."

Luke glared. Jess smirked.

"I'm gonna go get changed, then I'm going out."

"Out where?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Out out."

"Jess!"

"I have some errands to run. I think I'll go back to my place to put away my bag and clean up a bit."

"Jess, what about Rory?" Luke was concerned for her, he knew that Jess had come back for a reason, but he didn't know what it was or what he had needed talk to Lorelai about. He did know that Rory needed him and that Jess had better do something about their situation, "You should…"

"Luke, I'm going to take care of it. Trust me," he said as he walked out the diner door.

* * *

"Rise and shine pretty girl!" Lorelai jumped on Rory's bed balancing a cup of coffee in one hand while eating a blueberry muffin with the other. Rory groaned and rolled over, "Come on! I want to go to Luke's for pancakes! Nice big fluffy ones! With lots of syrup and snow!! Come on, come on! Get dressed!!"

After several minutes of begging, Rory finally agreed to get up. She quickly showered and dressed and soon they were out the door. Miss Patty cornered them on the way past her dance studio.

"Lorelai! Rory! Sweeties! How are you two? You've been a stranger around here lately Rory!"

"Oh, well…" she was visibly nervous. This was why she had sought refuge at Jess's apartment, facing the town was too hard. Too many questions, not enough answers.

"How's the play going Patty?" Lorelai quickly changed the subject and threw her arm around Rory who was shaking.

"Oh my goodness! It's a nightmare! Some of the girls don't fit into their costumes, and others simply don't know the dance. Who would've thought a Bagel Festival would cause so many problems!?"

"Well, it looks like one of them has taken a spill there" Lorelai and Rory watched in amusement as Patty ran back into the studio to help a small girl who was rolling across the floor dressed as a giant bagel.

They continued on their way and Lorelai noticed the shaking in Rory had started up again. She put her arm around her and led her to the diner where she could rest.

"Lukey!"

Luke ignored her.

"Lukey! Coffee!"

He didn't look up.

"Lucas Danes! Coffee now," Lorelai pounded on the table.

Luke looked up with a smirk, grabbed the pot of coffee and headed over to the girls.

"You were purposely ignoring me!"

"No I wasn't."

"Yes! I said your name twice before you looked up! You're depriving me of my coffee!"

"I don't respond to 'Lukey'."

"Fine, just give me the coffee. And pancakes. Lots of pancakes."

"What would you like Rory?"

"Um, I think I'll just have eggs and toast Luke, thanks."

"Okay." Luke went back to the kitchen to give Caesar the order.

"Hey babe. What's up? Why are you shaking?"

"I can't take it," she whispered.

"Can't take what?" Lorelai was worried, Rory was very depressed.

"This. The town. They all know."

"No one knows sweetie."

"No, they all stare at me. They all know I'm pregnant. They all know its Dean's," Rory broke down in tears.

"Oh, Ror. No one knows except you, me, Luke and Jess. Sweetie, no one's staring at you."

"Yes they are! They all know what a whore I am! They know mom! They know!"

"Oh my gosh, Rory, you are not a whore! Who told you that?"

"No one, I know it. I am one."

"No, no you're not. You're far from it. No one knows Rory, they don't have to know."

"But…now that Jess is gone, I have to tell them something!"

Lorelai had forgotten that Rory didn't know that Jess was back. Great. How was she supposed to tell her that he was back? 'Hey honey! Guess what? Jess came to me last night and told me that he wants to marry you!' That definitely wouldn't work. What was she going to say…

Luke came over with more coffee. "Your food should be ready any second. Caesar dropped the batter on the floor and had to start over."

"Oh, that's okay," Lorelai said sipping her coffee. Luke walked away and stood at the counter, sorting out receipts. Lorelai quietly got up and walked over to him.

"Luke," she whispered, "I don't know how to tell Rory that Jess is back."

"He's at his apartment," he whispered back, looking up at her.

"You talked to him this morning?"

"Yeah, he crashed upstairs. Said he had some errands to run and then he was going clean."

"Huh. Maybe I could just send her over there. Or take her over there myself…that would probably be better."

"This is going to work out isn't Lor?"

"I sure hope so. For all of our sakes," she said with a sigh. Luke leaned over the counter and kissed her. Lorelai smirked.

"Thanks," she whispered and walked back to the table.

"Sweets, what do you say we go to the apartment to get some of your stuff?"

"What?" Rory looked up from a book, with a tear stained face.

"I think we should go get some of your clothes and stuff."

"Oh, why don't you just go? I think I'm going to stay here and read."

"I think it'd be fun if we went together, we could poke fun of Jess's stuff!"

"No, I don't want to. You just go."

"I don't know what stuff you want to get."

"All of it. Take it all out of there."

"Rory, I can't do that by myself."

"Take Luke with."

"Rory, you're coming with me."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Rory, there are very few times when I pull this card, but I'mpulling it now. I'm the mother, you're the daughter. And I really feel that it's in your best interest to go with me."

"Why? So I can be tortured by being there around all of his stuff? No thank you."

"Rory."

"No mom, I'm not going."

"Yes you are."

Rory stopped arguing, she knew that she couldn't win. After eating in silence, they got into the car and started driving to Harford. They didn't speak the entire way there. Lorelai asked Rory how to get to the building and Rory quietly gave her directions. Upon arrival, Rory started to shake. But Lorelai knew that she had to face her fears. She also knew that Jess was there. His car was parked just a few cars down from them in the parking garage. She prayed that this went well. Rory lagged behind as they walked up the stairs.

"You lead the way. I don't know where I'm going." Lorelai stepped aside to let her past. Rory avoided looking at her mother as she clomped up the stairs to the top floor.

"This is it." She said as she reached the door.

Lorelai reached out and tried the knob. It was unlocked. Opening it, she let Rory into the apartment in front of her. Rory went slowly inside, closing her eyes, not wanting to see it. Not wanting to be reminded of him. Realizing that she would probably trip if she kept her eyes closed, she opened them slowly. Taking in her surroundings, she scanned the room. Table. Couch. TV. Books. Refrigerator. Chair. Jess. There he was, standing in front of her, a look of awe on his face. He was still here. He hadn't run away. Wait, this was his apartment. He lived here. No one made a move. They stood staring at each other. Rory was afraid he'd be angry. She had been horrible to him.

"I'm sorry." They both said it at the same time. Smiling they tried again, this time Jess going first.

"I'm sorry Ror. I didn't mean to run out on you. I just…I was in shock."

"I'm sorry Jess. I was rotten. I…"

She didn't have to continue. He walked toward her and put his arm around her waste.

"Shhh. Don't speak. I love you. I've always loved you and I always will. I want to help raise the baby. I don't care if it's Deans. It's yours too. You deserve everything Rory. And I want to give you everything. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else in the entire world. You are my world. I love you more than anything Rory. Don't ever forget that. I went out today and I bought something. Probably one of the most important things I've ever bought, or ever will buy. This is a symbol of my love, our love," He got down on one knee and pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket, "Rory Gilmore, will you marry me?"

She stood in front of him for a moment, completely taken aback. Slowly a smile crept onto her face, tears formed in her eyes and she slowly nodded her head.

"Yes, yes I'll marry you Jess," she whispered.

He stood up, placed the ring on her finger and kissed her. The kiss was one that was compassionate and full of love; one that melted away all the pain that had been felt in the past. Lorelai was still standing in the doorway, tears in her eyes, but the biggest smile on her face in the world. Her baby was getting married.


	9. A Nice Yale Boy?

Chapter 9- A Nice Yale Boy?

Author's Note- I know it's been awhile, but I've been super busy…what with work, college preparations, homework and what not. deep sigh But thanks to all who've reviewed! I'm so happy you all like my story, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! Keep reviewing!

Disclaimer- Still can't say I own this…but one day, hopefully…

* * *

Lorelai burst into the diner grinning from ear to ear.

"Coffee Luke! Coffee!" she sang.

"What are you so happy about?" he grumbled, pouring her a large steaming cup.

"My baby's getting married!"

"What?"

"Rory, she's getting married!" Lorelai couldn't contain her enthusiasm and jumped up to give Luke a hug.

"To a nice Yale boy I presume…"

"Nope, to Jess!" she smacked him playfully across the chest, "Isn't it wonderful!" she hugged him again, "That's what he came to see me about the other night, he wanted to ask for my blessing. He really loves her."

"Wow, I never would've guessed that Jess would…wow," Luke was happy for his nephew, it seemed as if he'd really turned his life around.

"Well, I have to go Lukey. Rory and I are going out to look at dresses today."

"Okay, well have fun. Tell Rory congratulations for me."

"I will, bye," Lorelai kissed him quickly before running out the door singing _Chapel of Love._

* * *

The late morning sun peaked into the room from behind the curtains as Rory stirred next to him. Last night was amazing. He still couldn't believe that he'd done it. He was going to marry Rory. And have a child with her. He was ready. Or at least he thought he was. But he loved her more than anything in the whole world. They could do this together.

Rory woke up and smiled at him sleepily. She still couldn't believe that all this was happening. She was going to be okay. She loved Jess, and he loved her. What had started out as a complete nightmare in getting pregnant had turned into her very own fairy tale ending. She couldn't have been happier than how much she was right at that moment.

* * *

(Later that week)

Lorelai made a mad dash at her purse to get to her cell phone before it stopped ringing.

"Yeah?" she said breathlessly right before her answering machine kicked in.

"Don't answer the phone with 'yeah'. It's not polite."

"Sorry mom," she said, smiling with an annoyed look on her face.

"I haven't heard from you in a long time and you keep canceling Friday night dinner. I want to know what's going on."

"Nothing mom, we've just been really busy around here." Lorelai was attempting to bring Rory's old high-chair down from the attic, it however was beating her.

"You and Rory are not getting out of dinner this week. No excuses, I expect to see you both at 7 o'clock sharp."

Lorelai scrunched up her nose and sighed, "Okay, we'll be there."

"Good and I want to hear about all the things you've been busy with. You have a few days until Friday to come up with something good."

"Aww, thanks mom. Have you heard the one about the escaped elephant at the zoo yet? Did we use that one already?"

"Not funny Lorelai, I'll see you on Friday."

"Okay, bye mom," Lorelai hung up the phone, "She's in for a big surprise," she said aloud.

* * *

A/N: I know this is short and not a lot happened, but I really wanted to get something posted. School is starting to wind down (finally!) so hopefully I can get more posted soon.

Next Chapter: Friday night dinner.


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